Interesting story. Sounds like you definitely dodged a bullet!. good for you. Never heard of the word Jobfished but did read an article in Vanity Fair (I believe last year) that there was something similar (I cannot for the life of me remember the back story..lol frustrating) where these 2 people - husband and wife - had this company they tried to scale and hired all these people who quit their current jobs and moved elsewhere (different states) only to discover that it was all a scam and there was no job or the money they reported they had. I am always amazed (not in a good way) the degree to which people will upend another's life in such an egregious way - with no regard for others. Says a lot about that person.
I think there’s an important difference that is being overlooked. My understanding of “Fake It Till You Make It” is a mantra to help people with fear, low self esteem and any other issue preventing them from pursuing/achieving their goals. This article describes a con which involves someone knowingly deceiving others to achieve gains for themselves. Actions such as “stealing” pictures and creating false ID’s have less to do with “faking” it and more to do with breaking the law.
My fear, really, is that this originally helpful, supportive mantra is now adopted at all costs by Hustle Culture - that "well, the pictures are out there, so it's fine, it's not really stealing" or that the ends justify the means. To dump yet a third aphorism into the fray, "better to ask forgiveness than permission." I have a nagging feeling that the internally and externally competitive culture and the idea that hustle and net worth are the only valid markers of value is going to finally implode and take a lot of folks with it.
The harrowing thought here is that the next Bernie Madoff is waiting in the wings as we speak. The height (or depth) of narcissistic personality is still prevalent in society today. Sometimes the best resource we have to avoid this type of disaster is our gut.
I believe it's already in the making, and we just haven't seen the collapse yet. After all, wasn't Theranos "the next big thing" ? Anna Sorkin, a glamorous socialite? And on and on.
I'm not even sure that it's a matter of narcissism in many cases, but extremely misguided buy-in to the idea that you have to be a hustler or a founder to have value in today's society.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. People believe what they want to believe. Just look at how people fall for Qanon, Fox News and other extremist “news” sources. That’s how FB survives.
The thing that stood out most to me, though, is that it WASN'T too good to be true. It was just shiny enough to be attractive, but not so shiny as to be suspicious. They weren't offering sky-high salaries, just top of the range (which you'd do if you wanted to attract top talent). The benefits etc. seemed generous but rational - again, reasonable if you want top talent. Remote staff? Sure, that was a rare perk a few years ago, but not now. This guy got the tone EXACTLY right, especially in an industry that's USED to being lowballed and professionally disrespected.
I like to think, had I followed up on the listing, that I would've run screaming at the mention of "deferred pay". But what about someone who'd been furloughed for a year and was getting desperate? Or someone starting out? It's way too easy to fall for these things, especially when you WANT to believe (as you say)
Yes, Katya, if it sounds too good to be true, we should pass. If it sounds just good enough to be true, we must do thorough research before committing to anything. In the past year, I've been surprised by how seemingly good jobs quickly turned into intolerable situations. Had I done a little more research, this could have been avoided.
Alas, sometimes, too, you just can't figure it out until too late. Not something like this - I suspect there were signs, but either people were siloed enough not to see them adding up or they really just didn't want to believe they'd been conned. Rather, with a few past positions I've had and friends have had, where you realise far too late WHY that job was open....
Nothing is sacred anymore. It’s an exhausting way of life our meta culture has forced upon us (ie, we’ve foisted ourselves on our own petards). Facebook, Instagrams, and the like have set us up with our own blessing to want to believe almost anything. We need to detox. Question is, do we want to? Can we?
I use no social media other than an old LinkedIn profile. I do just fine with this newsletter, the WaPo and the NYT plus CNN. And really, now I only use CNN+ since I cut the cord. To me, social media is a time suck and I have better things to do like socialize in person or call/text/em people directly.
Good points Kate and everyone. I’ll just throw in “Buyer beware”. If it looks(almost)too good to be true, check, check and check again. Ask for their references maybe? Turn the tables.
Apr 4, 2022·edited Apr 4, 2022Liked by Bill Murphy Jr.
Kate, sorry to be off subject, but my wife just had a bad stroke last weekend. I know you have had medical issues and wondered if you had advice, she is pretty much incapacitated and we have kept are credit accounts sperate, she has a lot of unsecured debt from trying to raise our two adopted children, my problem is not having enough income to cover both of our debts? I wondered if you had any insight on this subject.
James I'm really sorry to hear about this, I'll be thinking of you and your wife and praying for you. I don't know enough about your situation to offer advice except (a) does your employer have any kind of employee assistance, and (b) the possibility of talking with a lawyer who handles debt consolidation to try to negotiate some offers in compromise. Feel free to email me directly if I can offer any support. (bill@understandably.com)
Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to hear this! First of all, sending all good wishes and prayers to your wife and yourself, as well as your kids.
Right. Practical matters first: as Bill points out, you can often get payments suspended or other temporary fixes in case of emergency, like this. Debt consolidation or speaking directly with lenders can help. If you have a credit union, rather than a bank, they can also often be wonderful.
For medical purposes, it'll be worth getting documentation from her doctors that she's incapacitated - the US disability system is a NIGHTMARE HELLSCAPE that is essentially a full-time job of its own to navigate, but start now. Even if she's only temporarily disabled, *she's still disabled*. Having the paperwork in progress can help support applications for debt relief and/or suspended payments.
Community organisations and groups for your industry/profession may also help. For instance, there are guilds/unions for writers, actors, and other creatives that maintain emergency medical funds to help with expenses - look into whether there are any in either your or your wife's field. You can apply to alleviate the medical expenses, then redistribute that money to debt if need be.
As for the medical end of things...oof. Everyone's stroke situation is VERY individual, but they all take a LONG time to recover from, and a lot of physiotherapy (and often mental therapy). My grandmother managed to recover from a very severe one in her late 70s, teach herself to use her left hand as well as her right, and carry on with all her hobbies, writing letters, crocheting, etc until she passed some 12 years later. But it was a JOURNEY. Begin looking now at your physiotherapy options, whether you can get the care you need in your area, how to juggle kids and appointments, etc.
And reach out to friends, family, and yes, us here at Understandably. YOU need support as the primary caregiver, and in the aftermath of something so shocking and affecting. Never forget that.
From 7 Other Things.... "... due to high gas prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine". Seriously? Let's give credit where credit is due. Gas prices were rising long before Russia invaded due to policies enacted day one of the Biden administration.
When Phineas Taylor Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute and two to take his money" he may not have had verifiable data to back up that claim, but he did know that some are more susceptible to con artists than others. While the con artist may not have a deep understanding of how the brain works, they certainly know that anyone who takes their bait and then swallows it is likely to be netted and landed. Universally, we believe what we choose to believe, often despite compelling evidence to the contrary. Ironically, evidence that contradicts a belief may serve to reinforce it, so strong is the mind's desire to make reality conform with belief. Con is short for confidence, and the con artist is masterful at gaining trust and overcoming the caution that "what sounds too good to be true usually is." The Buddha taught that humans create suffering through greed, anger and ignorance. One need not embrace Buddhism to understand that all three are effectively weaponized by con artists. And while we generally think of the con artist as someone who steals money from us, an advanced form of this artistry is practiced by some political and religious leaders. Seeing through cons requires a mindset of discernment. To quote Wikipedia, it involves "taking time in making decisions, using both the head and heart, and assessing important values involved in the situation." Missing from the Wiki article is an essential element, suspending judgment. Judgment, in this context, is the primitive brain's survival instinct: "is it good, or is it bad?" The practice of discernment relies on being aware of such labeling by the primitive brain while not being conned by it. Most of our responses are influenced, if not entirely controlled, by the good-or-bad form of decision-making reinforced by neural pathways established in childhood. Being able to move from judgment to discernment quite literally requires establishing new neural pathways. Because rewiring the way our brain works is not something that can be accomplished overnight, taking time in making decisions protects us from being unreasonably or uncontrollably subjected to the influence of the primitive brain. The work of Shirzad Chamine can provide additional insight into this process.
Yeah! "Russia denies it all" (the massacres). Could Ukrainian troops or "radicals" have massacred all those people while Russian troops occupied and controlled those cities? Bullsh-t!
Main story: It's frightening and deeply disturbing that frauds like Madbird can get away with their chicanery. Anyone punished for their crooked efforts?
Interesting story. Sounds like you definitely dodged a bullet!. good for you. Never heard of the word Jobfished but did read an article in Vanity Fair (I believe last year) that there was something similar (I cannot for the life of me remember the back story..lol frustrating) where these 2 people - husband and wife - had this company they tried to scale and hired all these people who quit their current jobs and moved elsewhere (different states) only to discover that it was all a scam and there was no job or the money they reported they had. I am always amazed (not in a good way) the degree to which people will upend another's life in such an egregious way - with no regard for others. Says a lot about that person.
I think there’s an important difference that is being overlooked. My understanding of “Fake It Till You Make It” is a mantra to help people with fear, low self esteem and any other issue preventing them from pursuing/achieving their goals. This article describes a con which involves someone knowingly deceiving others to achieve gains for themselves. Actions such as “stealing” pictures and creating false ID’s have less to do with “faking” it and more to do with breaking the law.
My fear, really, is that this originally helpful, supportive mantra is now adopted at all costs by Hustle Culture - that "well, the pictures are out there, so it's fine, it's not really stealing" or that the ends justify the means. To dump yet a third aphorism into the fray, "better to ask forgiveness than permission." I have a nagging feeling that the internally and externally competitive culture and the idea that hustle and net worth are the only valid markers of value is going to finally implode and take a lot of folks with it.
The harrowing thought here is that the next Bernie Madoff is waiting in the wings as we speak. The height (or depth) of narcissistic personality is still prevalent in society today. Sometimes the best resource we have to avoid this type of disaster is our gut.
Multiple Madoffs operate at any given point in time. 80% of politicians are grifters to some degree, some MUCH more than others.
Use your gut and your logical, common sense capabilities and leave emotional decision-making at the door.
I believe it's already in the making, and we just haven't seen the collapse yet. After all, wasn't Theranos "the next big thing" ? Anna Sorkin, a glamorous socialite? And on and on.
I'm not even sure that it's a matter of narcissism in many cases, but extremely misguided buy-in to the idea that you have to be a hustler or a founder to have value in today's society.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. People believe what they want to believe. Just look at how people fall for Qanon, Fox News and other extremist “news” sources. That’s how FB survives.
The thing that stood out most to me, though, is that it WASN'T too good to be true. It was just shiny enough to be attractive, but not so shiny as to be suspicious. They weren't offering sky-high salaries, just top of the range (which you'd do if you wanted to attract top talent). The benefits etc. seemed generous but rational - again, reasonable if you want top talent. Remote staff? Sure, that was a rare perk a few years ago, but not now. This guy got the tone EXACTLY right, especially in an industry that's USED to being lowballed and professionally disrespected.
I like to think, had I followed up on the listing, that I would've run screaming at the mention of "deferred pay". But what about someone who'd been furloughed for a year and was getting desperate? Or someone starting out? It's way too easy to fall for these things, especially when you WANT to believe (as you say)
Yes, Katya, if it sounds too good to be true, we should pass. If it sounds just good enough to be true, we must do thorough research before committing to anything. In the past year, I've been surprised by how seemingly good jobs quickly turned into intolerable situations. Had I done a little more research, this could have been avoided.
Alas, sometimes, too, you just can't figure it out until too late. Not something like this - I suspect there were signs, but either people were siloed enough not to see them adding up or they really just didn't want to believe they'd been conned. Rather, with a few past positions I've had and friends have had, where you realise far too late WHY that job was open....
Nothing is sacred anymore. It’s an exhausting way of life our meta culture has forced upon us (ie, we’ve foisted ourselves on our own petards). Facebook, Instagrams, and the like have set us up with our own blessing to want to believe almost anything. We need to detox. Question is, do we want to? Can we?
I use no social media other than an old LinkedIn profile. I do just fine with this newsletter, the WaPo and the NYT plus CNN. And really, now I only use CNN+ since I cut the cord. To me, social media is a time suck and I have better things to do like socialize in person or call/text/em people directly.
Good points Kate and everyone. I’ll just throw in “Buyer beware”. If it looks(almost)too good to be true, check, check and check again. Ask for their references maybe? Turn the tables.
I've actually done that before, lol!
GO HEELS!!!
Why attribute higher gas prices to Russia when they were up 70% from last year long before the Ukraine invasion?
Kate, sorry to be off subject, but my wife just had a bad stroke last weekend. I know you have had medical issues and wondered if you had advice, she is pretty much incapacitated and we have kept are credit accounts sperate, she has a lot of unsecured debt from trying to raise our two adopted children, my problem is not having enough income to cover both of our debts? I wondered if you had any insight on this subject.
James I'm really sorry to hear about this, I'll be thinking of you and your wife and praying for you. I don't know enough about your situation to offer advice except (a) does your employer have any kind of employee assistance, and (b) the possibility of talking with a lawyer who handles debt consolidation to try to negotiate some offers in compromise. Feel free to email me directly if I can offer any support. (bill@understandably.com)
Thank you very much, I really enjoy understably and try to read it every morning.
Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to hear this! First of all, sending all good wishes and prayers to your wife and yourself, as well as your kids.
Right. Practical matters first: as Bill points out, you can often get payments suspended or other temporary fixes in case of emergency, like this. Debt consolidation or speaking directly with lenders can help. If you have a credit union, rather than a bank, they can also often be wonderful.
For medical purposes, it'll be worth getting documentation from her doctors that she's incapacitated - the US disability system is a NIGHTMARE HELLSCAPE that is essentially a full-time job of its own to navigate, but start now. Even if she's only temporarily disabled, *she's still disabled*. Having the paperwork in progress can help support applications for debt relief and/or suspended payments.
Community organisations and groups for your industry/profession may also help. For instance, there are guilds/unions for writers, actors, and other creatives that maintain emergency medical funds to help with expenses - look into whether there are any in either your or your wife's field. You can apply to alleviate the medical expenses, then redistribute that money to debt if need be.
As for the medical end of things...oof. Everyone's stroke situation is VERY individual, but they all take a LONG time to recover from, and a lot of physiotherapy (and often mental therapy). My grandmother managed to recover from a very severe one in her late 70s, teach herself to use her left hand as well as her right, and carry on with all her hobbies, writing letters, crocheting, etc until she passed some 12 years later. But it was a JOURNEY. Begin looking now at your physiotherapy options, whether you can get the care you need in your area, how to juggle kids and appointments, etc.
And reach out to friends, family, and yes, us here at Understandably. YOU need support as the primary caregiver, and in the aftermath of something so shocking and affecting. Never forget that.
From 7 Other Things.... "... due to high gas prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine". Seriously? Let's give credit where credit is due. Gas prices were rising long before Russia invaded due to policies enacted day one of the Biden administration.
When Phineas Taylor Barnum said "there's a sucker born every minute and two to take his money" he may not have had verifiable data to back up that claim, but he did know that some are more susceptible to con artists than others. While the con artist may not have a deep understanding of how the brain works, they certainly know that anyone who takes their bait and then swallows it is likely to be netted and landed. Universally, we believe what we choose to believe, often despite compelling evidence to the contrary. Ironically, evidence that contradicts a belief may serve to reinforce it, so strong is the mind's desire to make reality conform with belief. Con is short for confidence, and the con artist is masterful at gaining trust and overcoming the caution that "what sounds too good to be true usually is." The Buddha taught that humans create suffering through greed, anger and ignorance. One need not embrace Buddhism to understand that all three are effectively weaponized by con artists. And while we generally think of the con artist as someone who steals money from us, an advanced form of this artistry is practiced by some political and religious leaders. Seeing through cons requires a mindset of discernment. To quote Wikipedia, it involves "taking time in making decisions, using both the head and heart, and assessing important values involved in the situation." Missing from the Wiki article is an essential element, suspending judgment. Judgment, in this context, is the primitive brain's survival instinct: "is it good, or is it bad?" The practice of discernment relies on being aware of such labeling by the primitive brain while not being conned by it. Most of our responses are influenced, if not entirely controlled, by the good-or-bad form of decision-making reinforced by neural pathways established in childhood. Being able to move from judgment to discernment quite literally requires establishing new neural pathways. Because rewiring the way our brain works is not something that can be accomplished overnight, taking time in making decisions protects us from being unreasonably or uncontrollably subjected to the influence of the primitive brain. The work of Shirzad Chamine can provide additional insight into this process.
Thank you Kate, I know you have your fair share of medical issues and appreciate the support and advice, again thank you so much!
Yeah! "Russia denies it all" (the massacres). Could Ukrainian troops or "radicals" have massacred all those people while Russian troops occupied and controlled those cities? Bullsh-t!
Main story: It's frightening and deeply disturbing that frauds like Madbird can get away with their chicanery. Anyone punished for their crooked efforts?